1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a method and system for managing optical network elements in an optical communications network.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical communications networks utilize a variety of optical network elements to transmit information from sender to receiver. The optical network elements may be geographically distributed over a wide area and existing systems utilize network management systems to communicate with the optical network elements. Network management systems interface with the optical network elements and obtain information (e.g., operational status) from the optical network elements. This information is then presented (e.g., through a graphical user interface or GUI) to entities such as service providers using the network or technicians servicing the network.
In conventional systems, network management systems use monolithic software applications. When hardware is altered in the optical network elements (e.g., hardware upgraded to add a new feature) the existing network management software in the network management system also needs to be updated to interface with the new hardware. This practice of entirely replacing the network management software has several drawbacks.
One drawback is the difficulty in updating the network management software in multiple, geographically dispersed network management systems. A technician may need to physically access each network management system and install new network management software to support the new hardware feature. As the release of improved hardware becomes more and more frequent, upgrading the monolithic network management software on multiple, geographically dispersed network management systems becomes a daunting task.
A further drawback is customer acceptance of the new, monolithic network management software. Customers often require substantial testing before accepting the installation of new, monolithic network management software. Customers may, however, relax this requirement for software updates that do not replace the monolithic network management software. Such testing can be a prolonged process, resulting in significant participation by the software supplier thereby increasing costs associated with the software update and delaying time to market.